Dec 18, 2003

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - Senior Mark Davis (Springfield, VA/R.E. Lee/Palm Beach CC) led five George Mason players in doubles figures as the Patriots pounded McNeese State, 96-63, in men's basketball action Thursday evening at Patriot Center. Davis scored 19 points and sophomore Tony Skinn (Takoma Park, MD/Takoma Academy/Hagerstown CC) added a career-high 17.

Mason's 96 points are the most for the team since scoring a 99-79 victory at home over Virginia Commonwealth on Feb. 14, 2001. It is the second time this season that the Patriots have flirted with the century mark, having bested Morehead State 95-82 in the season opener.

Junior Terry Reynolds (Nashville, TN/Toledo) finished with 14 points, six assists and four steals for the Patriots (5-2), who also received another seven steals (career-high) from Davis, who was one steal away from tying the Patriot record for steals in a game.

Greg Tucker led McNeese State with 11 points, while Monte' Farmer had 10 points and seven blocked shots for the Cowboys (3-5), who have lost four in a row. Edward Garriet, the Cowboys' leading scorer at 17.0 points per game, was held to only two points and shot 1-for-13 from the floor.

Leading 8-6 with 17:16 left in the first half, the Patriots went on 10-2 run behind senior Raoul Heinen (Bunschoten, Holland) and sophomore Jai Lewis (Aberdeen, MD/Aberdeen), who each scored four points in pushing the Mason advantage to 18-8 midway through the first half. The lead would balloon to 30 points, 48-18, as Davis scored eight points during a 16-0 Patriot spurt late in the frame. Mason never trailed in the game, leading 51-24 at halftime.

Lewis scored 12 points in 16 minutes for the Patriots, and senior Richard Tynes (Washington, DC/Hargrave Military Acad.), who started in place of an injured Lamar Butler, recorded 10 points and five rebounds in 20 minutes.

George Mason outrebounded an opponent for only the second time this season, grabbing 43 boards compared to 39 for McNeese State. The Patriots dished out 21 assists and collected 19 steals, while scoring 31 points off 28 Cowboys' turnovers. McNeese State finished with 10 blocked shots and connected at an 11.8 percent (2-of-17) clip from beyond the arc.

George Mason visits Duquesne Saturday at 4 p.m. while McNeese State heads to Arizona State for a Monday tip-off.

Box Score
McNeese State (3-5) - 24-39=63
George Mason (5-2) - 51-45=96